Sunni Brown: Doodlers, unite!

Translator: Manon Fiorino Reviewer: TED Open Translation

So I just want to tell you my story.

Ech wollt iech mol meng Geschicht erzielen.

I spend a lot of time

Ech verbrengen vill Zäit

teaching adults how to use visual language

Erwuessenen bäizebrengen wéi se kennen visuell Sprooch

and doodling in the workplace.

a krootzelen ob der Aarbechtsplaatz uwenden.

And naturally, I encounter a lot of resistance,

A natierlech stoußen ech do ob vill Resistenz,

because it's considered to be anti-intellectual

well et allgemeng als anti-intellektuell

and counter to serious learning.

a géint eescht Léieren ugesin gett.

But I have a problem with that belief,

Mee ech hun e Problem mat deerer Usiicht,

because I know that doodling has a profound impact

well ech weess dass krootzelen en groußen Impakt huet

on the way that we can process information

ob d'Art a Weis wéi mer Informatiounen veraarbechten

and the way that we can solve problems.

a wéi mer Problemer léisen.

So I was curious about why there was a disconnect

Dofir war ech mol firwetzeg wisou di Diskrepanz entstanen as

between the way our society perceives doodling

teschent der Art a Weis wéi d'Gesellschaft krootzelen obfaasst

and the way that the reality is.

an wéi d'Realitéit as.

So I discovered some very interesting things.

An do hun ech e puer interessant Saachen festgestallt.

For example, there's no such thing

Zum Beispill gett et keng

as a flattering definition of a doodle.

firdeelhaft Definitioun vum 'doodelen'.

In the 17th century, a doodle was a simpleton or a fool --

Am 17. Jorhonnert, war en 'doodle' en Eefalt oder en Delpes

as in Yankee Doodle.

sou wi e Yankee Doodle.

In the 18th century, it became a verb,

Am 18. Jorhonnert, gouf et e Verb,

and it meant to swindle or ridicule or to make fun of someone.

an et huet bedréien oder lächerlech maan oder sech iwert een leschteg maachen bedeit.

In the 19th century, it was a corrupt politician.

Am 19. Jorhonnert wor et e korrupten Politiker.

And today, we have what is perhaps our most offensive definition,

An haut, hu mer di wuel offensivst Definitioun,

at least to me, which is the following:

wéinstens menger Meenung no, nämlech di folgend:

To doodle officially means

'Doodelen' heescht offiziell

to dawdle,

bummelen

to dilly dally, to monkey around,

trellen, wurschtelen,

to make meaningless marks,

sennlos Zeechen maachen,

to do something of little value, substance or import,

eppes mat nemmen wéineg Wert, Substanz oder Bedeitung maachen,

and -- my personal favorite --

an - mäi perséinleche Favorit -

to do nothing.

näicht maachen.

No wonder people are averse to doodling at work.

Kee Wonner dass d'Leit eppes géint krootzelen ob der Aarbecht hun.

Doing nothing at work is akin to masturbating at work;

Näicht maachen ob der Aarbecht as ähnlech wéi masturbéieren ob der Aarbecht;

it's totally inappropriate.

absolut net ubruecht.

(Laughter)

(Laachen)

Additionally, I've heard horror stories

Außerdem hun ech Horrorgeschichten héieren

from people whose teachers scolded them, of course, for doodling in classrooms.

vu Leit déi vun hieren Schoulmeeschteren vernannt gi sin, natierlech, wéinst krootzelen am Klassesall.

And they have bosses who scold them for doodling in the boardroom.

A Leit déi vun hieren Chefen vernannt gi sin wéinst krootzelen am Setzungssall.

There is a powerful cultural norm against doodling

Et gett eng staark kulturell Norm géint krootzelen

in settings in which we are supposed to learn something.

an Emfelder wou mer supposéiert sin eppes ze léieren.

And unfortunately,

A leider

the press tends to reinforce this norm

tendéiert d'Press dozou des Norm ze verstärken

when they're reporting on a doodling scene --

well wann se iwer d'Krootzel-Szene bericht -

of an important person at a confirmation hearing and the like --

vun enger wichteger Persoun ob enger Verhandlung oder ähnleches -

they typically use words like "discovered"

benotzt se typescherweis Wierder wéi "entdeckt"

or "caught" or "found out,"

oder "erwescht" oder "erausfonnt",

as if there's some sort of criminal act being committed.

sou wi wann et e Verbriechen wär.

And additionally, there is a psychological aversion to doodling --

An außerdem gett et eng psychologisch Ofneigung géint krootzelen -

thank you, Freud.

merci, Freud.

In the 1930s, Freud told us all

An de 1930er huet de Freud eis all verzielt

that you could analyze people's psyches

dass een de Leit hier Psychen kann

based on their doodles.

duerch hiert krootzelen analyséieren.

This is not accurate, but it did happen to Tony Blair

Dat stemmt net, mee et as dem Tony Blair

at the Davos Forum in 2005,

ob dem Davos Forum 2005 geschitt,

when his doodles were, of course, "discovered"

wéi säi Gekrootzels, natierlech, "entdeckt" gin as

and he was labeled the following things.

an en as folgend Saachen genannt gin. (Aggressiv, net stabill, reizbar, enner Drock, megalomanesch)

Now it turned out to be Bill Gates' doodle.

Lo huet sech awer rausgestallt dass et dem Bill Gates säi Gekrootzels war.

(Laughter)

(Laachen)

And Bill, if you're here, nobody thinks you're megalomaniacal.

A Bill, wann der hei sollt sin, et denkt keen dass der megalomanesch sidd.

But that does contribute

Mee dat dréit dozou bäi

to people not wanting to share their doodles.

dass d'Leit hiert Gekrootzels net wellen weisen oder matdeelen.

And here is the real deal. Here's what I believe.

An hei as de wirkleche Grond. Hei as wat ech mengen.

I think that our culture

Menger Meenung no as eis Kultur

is so intensely focused on verbal information

sou intensiv ob d'verbal Informatioun fokusséiert

that we're almost blinded to the value of doodling.

dass mer bal blann sin fir de Wert vum Krootzelen.

And I'm not comfortable with that.

An ech fille mech net wuel domadder.

And so because of that belief that I think needs to be burst,

An esou, well ech fannen dass dese Glaawen zerschloen gi muss

I'm here to send us all hurtling back to the truth.

sin ech hei fir eis all zreck an d'Wirklechkeet ze rappen.

And here's the truth:

An hei as d'Wourecht:

doodling is an incredibly powerful tool,

krootzelen as en immens staarkt Instrument

and it is a tool that we need to remember and to re-learn.

an et as en Instrument un dat mer eis onbedingt mussen erenneren an dat mer rem mussen léieren.

So here's a new definition for doodling.

Hei as also eng nei Denfinitioun fir krootzelen.

And I hope there's someone in here from The Oxford English Dictionary,

An ech hoffen dat een hei as vum Oxford English Dictionary,

because I want to talk to you later.

well ech muss henno nach mat iech schwätzen.

Here's the real definition:

Hei as di richteg Defintioun:

Doodling is really to make spontaneous marks to help yourself think.

Krootzelen as u sech spontan Zeechen maan fir sech ze hellefen ze denken.

That is why millions of people doodle.

Dat as et wisou Milliounen vu Leit krootzelen.

Here's another interesting truth about the doodle:

Hei as nach eng interessant Wourecht iwert krootzelen:

People who doodle when they're exposed to verbal information

Leit di krootzelen wann se verbaler Informatioun exposéiert sin

retain more of that information

behalen méi vun deser Informatioun

than their non-doodling counterparts.

wi déi di net krootzelen.

We think doodling is something you do when you lose focus,

Mär huelen am allgemengen un dass krootzelen eppes as wat ee mecht wann ee Fokus verléiert,

but in reality, it is a preemptive measure

mee a Wirklechkeet, as et eng präventiv Mesure

to stop you from losing focus.

déi iech vum Fokus verléieren ofhällt.

Additionally, it has a profound effect

Außerdem huet et en déiwen Effekt

on creative problem-solving

ob kreativ Problem-Bewältegung

and deep information processing.

an déif Informatiouns-Veraarbechtung.

There are four ways that learners intake information

Et geet 4 Méiglechkeeten wéi Leit di léieren Informatioun obhuelen kennen

so that they can make decisions.

fir Decisiounen kennen ze huelen.

They are visual, auditory,

Visuell, auditoresch,

reading and writing and kinesthetic.

liesen a schreiwen an kinesthetesch.

Now in order for us to really chew on information

Fir Informatiounen wirklech ze veraarbechten

and do something with it,

sou dass mer kennen eppes domadder ufänken,

we have to engage at least two of those modalities,

musse mer wéinstens zwou vun desen Modalitéiten an d'Spill brengen

or we have to engage one of those modalities

oder zwou von desen Modalitéiten

coupled with an emotional experience.

gekoppelt un eng emotional Erfahrung.

The incredible contribution of the doodle

Den onwarscheinlechen Bäitrag vum Krootzelen

is that it engages all four learning modalities simultaneously

as dass et alle véier Modalitéiten simultan ureegt

with the possibility of an emotional experience.

mat der Méiglechkeet vun enger emotionaler Erfahrung.

That is a pretty solid contribution

Dat as en zimlech zolitten Bäitrag

for a behavior equated with doing nothing.

fir e Verhalen wat gläich gestallt get mat näicht maachen.

This is so nerdy,

Dat as u sech e besse blöd,

but this made me cry when I discovered this.

mee ech hat musse kräischen wéi ech dat erausfonnt hat.

So they did anthropological research

Et goufen anthropologesch Recherchen gemaach

into the unfolding of artistic activity in children,

iwert d'Entfalen vun artisteschen Aktivitéiten bei Kanner,

and they found that, across space and time,

an se hu raus fonnt, dass iwert Raum an Zäit

all children exhibit the same evolution in visual logic

all Kanner di selwescht Evolutioun an der visueller Logic obweisen

as they grow.

wann se grouß gin.

In other words, they have a shared and growing

An aaneren Wieder, se hun alleguer eng gemeinsam a wuessend

complexity in visual language

Komplexitéit vun der visueller Sprooch

that happens in a predictable order.

di an enger prévisibler Reihefolg geschitt.

And I think that is incredible.

An ech fannen dat as immens.

I think that means doodling is native to us

Ech ging soen dat heecht dass krootzelen eis all ugebuer as

and we simply are denying ourselves that instinct.

an dass mer ganz einfach eisen eegenen Instinkt ennerdrecken.

And finally, a lot a people aren't privy to this,

A schlussendlech, net vill Leit wessen dat,

but the doodle is a precursor

mee kootzelen as e Firleefer

to some of our greatest cultural assets.

vun e puer vun eise gréißte kulturelle Schätz.

This is but one:

Hei as lo nemmen een:

this is Frank Gehry the architect's precursor to the Guggenheim in Abu Dhabi.

dest as dem Architekt Frank Gehry seng Firbereedung zum Guggenheim zu Abu Dhabi.

So here is my point:

Wat ech well soen:

Under no circumstances should doodling be eradicated

Ennert kengen Emstänn sollt krootzelen

from a classroom or a boardroom

aus dem Klassesall oder dem Setzungsall

or even the war room.

oder suguer dem Krischsall ofgeschaf gin.

On the contrary,

Am Géigendeel,

doodling should be leveraged in precisely those situations

krootzelen sollt eben grad an dese Situatiounen ennerstetzt gin

where information density is very high

wou d'Informatiounsdensitéit besonneg héich as

and the need for processing that information is very high.

an de Besoin fir des Informatioun ze veraarbechten ganz héich as.

And I will go you one further.

An ech gin nach ee Schrett mi wäit.

Because doodling is so universally accessible

Well krootzelen sou universell accessibel as

and it is not intimidating as an art form,

an et net eng aschüchternd Form vu Konscht as,

it can be leveraged as a portal

kann et als Portal agesat gin

through which we move people

duech dat Leit sech kennen

into higher levels of visual literacy.

ob mi héich Levelen vun visueller Bildung hiewen.

My friends, the doodle has never been

Léif Frenn, krootzelen war nach ni

the nemesis of intellectual thought.

d'Nemesis vum intellektuellen Gedanken.

In reality, it is one of its greatest allies.

A Wirklechkeet as et een vu sengem gréißten Verbündeten.

Thank you.

Merci.

(Applause)

(Applaus)